Plot Twist Story Prompts: Unwanted Gift
Plot twist story prompts aren’t meant for the beginning or the end of stories. Rather, they’re for forcing big and small turns in the anticipated trajectory of a story. This is to make it more interesting for the readers and writers alike.
Each week, I’ll provide a new prompt to help twist your story. Find last week’s prompt, Stories Are Real, here.
Plot Twist Story Prompts: Unwanted Gift
For today’s prompt, give a character an unwanted gift. Maybe it’s something the character does not desire, or maybe it’s from someone the character does not particularly like. Whatever the reason, the character should definitely not like the gift they are given.
So there are a few things to consider with this one. How does the character react when receiving the gift? Do they pretend to like it when receiving? What do they do with it afterward? And what does that lead to (especially if the gift-giver suddenly wants to see the gift)? A small (unwanted) gift can lead to some interesting storytelling.
And don’t forget that a gift doesn’t have to be physical. Maybe the character has super powers or a curse as a gift. Many a character has bemoaned the gift of intelligence and foresight when surrounded by a culture that doesn’t match up with that ability.
So give a character an unwanted gift, and see what happens next.
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Have you hit a wall on your work-in-progress? Maybe you know where you want your characters to end up, but don’t know how to get them there. Or, the story feels a little stale but you still believe in it. Adding a plot twist might be just the solution.